7 Reasons The MCU Is Better Off Without Joss Whedon

Along with Jon Favreau and (of course) Kevin Feige, Joss Whedon was a key figure in getting the Marvel Cinematic Universe off the ground. Yes, by the time Avengers was released things were well underway, but if the first superhero team-up had failed, the whole universe would have collapsed. But Whedon pulled off a miracle and made an extremely entertaining film that showed the potential of the MCU.

Age of Ultron was a disappointing follow-up, and while not a failure by any means, it highlighted some major issues between Whedon and Marvel. Whedon quickly cut ties with the studio, saying that the sequel broke him and hinted at behind the scenes disagreements. At the time, it seemed like a major loss for Marvel but they've proven to not only survive without Whedon, but thrive.

The truth is, despite all Whedon’s talents, the MCU is better off without him. Despite collaborating on one great film, it was apparent that the creative minds at work here just did not mesh well.

But just as Whedon has moved onto projects more suited to his own tastes, the MCU has improved in his absence. So, with all due respect to the very talented Joss Whedon, let’s look at why the MCU is better off without him.

Whedon spoke openly during the press tour for Age of Ultron about the compromises he was forced to make on the film. Many fans took this to mean that flawed final product was the result of studio meddling and if Marvel had left Whedon to his own devices, we would have gotten the Avengers sequel we’d hoped for. However, the truth of the matter is that much of the flaws in the film are Whedon’s fault.

One item the studio did push was Thor's awkward cave visions. According to Whedon, Marvel gave him two options; do the cave sequence or lose the sequence at the farm. For starters, the farm sequence isn't much better than the cave. It really only serves as reparations for Hawkeye's character and to bloat the plot. Secondly, as bad as the cave sequence was, Whedon admits to taking a lazy approach to it. With a little more effort he could have made it feel more organic to the plot.

Beyond that, Whedon’s own ideas contributed to the film’s problems. You might think that the overstuffed cast was Marvel’s attempt to fit in as many heroes as possible but it was Whedon who insisted on The Vision, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver all appearing in the same film. He also chose Ultron as the villain and came up with his bizarre characterization. The flimsy plot, mismatched tone, lack of stakes- all these issues fall to the writer-director.

Whedon made one brilliant superhero film, but he also made a lackluster one. Given a third chance he might have bounced back, or he might have stumbled even more.